Supermarkets and workman's compensation

Is it just supermarkets or are there other companies that make you go to their doctors when you get injured? I've been injured on the job before (in the 1980s) and I got to go to my own doctors and emergency room--places convenient to me. I didn't work for a supermarket though. Now both of my daughters have been injured on the job in two different supermarkets. They were both told they had to go to specific places to be treated and that if they didn't, they'd have to pay the bill.

What?

Is that because of some special deal worked out between the supermarket and the medical facility? I think so...and how do I know my daughters would get the appropriate care? The facility would tend to favor the employer, no?

What happened this most recent time was this: Heidi was preparing some food and cut her pinkie badly. People felt she needed to go to the required facility in Cherry Hill, a good 20 minutes away at least. The thing is, no one especially wanted to take her (except for one person) and she had no way of getting herself there. She shouldn't have driven herself in any case anyway because of shock. So Heidi would have had to wait 45 minutes for me to come out there and then drive her to this place. The bleeding stopped so Heidi decided the hell with it, she'd just come home on the bus.

When I picked her up, she told me what happened and asked if I would help her wash the wound and re-bandage it. We stopped at the store and picked up gauze and tape. When we got home, Heidi took off the dressing and the bleeding started again. There was a lot of it and when TB got a look, he said she'd need stitches. So our choice was ... drive to this place in Cherry Hill, an hour away, or go to the ER five minutes away. Duh. No brainer.

It took six stitches to close that cut, including one in the nail. The ER doc gave Heidi a note so she could be out of work two days. Yesterday we went to the store where Heidi works so she and the manager could fill out an accident report. It should have been done the night before but for some reason the manager just told her to come back. That pissed me off.

Now she has to go to this place to have her finger looked at ... after she works her shift. And she has to go back to have the stitches removed. Meanwhile, our doctor is a lot closer. Who cares how much it inconveniences us and how much gas it costs us?

Maybe I'm crazy but it seems to me that if the employee has to provide his or her own transportation after an injury, then that employee shouldn't be forced to go somewhere miles away. And when an employee is injured, transportation to and from a facility should be provided. And the manager should be required to sit down and fill out an accident report then and there, not tell the employee "come back tomorrow".

I am spectacularly unimpressed with the way supermarkets exploit their employees!

Watching the news is hazardous/GiST 5 & 6

I don't like to watch the national news because so often it gives me agita. Watching the local news can be fun, entertaining or heartwarming ... or, lately, it can give me agita too. In the past few days, I've watched badly behaving Flyers' fans beating up on NY Ranger fans. A couple of teenagers took videos of themselves vandalizing cars and then uploaded them to U-tube (or someplace like it).

This morning a pair of thugs were caught on video beating their victim and then robbing him at a train station in full view of everyone. In fact, you can see people standing in the background watching. Watching. Not calling 911. Just standing there, watching. What is wrong with people? I can understand not becoming physically involved in rescuing the guy but why didn't anyone call 911? And a reporter interviewed someone later who said that at a busy stop like that, there should be more cops. Really? Did he call for help? I bet he didn't!

None of these stories inspire me to visit Philadelphia anytime soon, that's for sure! I may have to give up on the local news, too, because lately there hasn't been enough feel-good stories to counteract the horror of what some people have turned into.

I didn't get a chance to post my Grace in Small Things yesterday so here goes:

Grace in Small Things #5

1. Our Little T called us and it never fails to thrill us when he does. We're seeing him for a few hours tomorrow and will probably spend part of it walking in the park.

2. T's father tells us that T has wanted to play checkers every night since they brought it home. That really warmed TB's heart. T didn't seem too interested in it at first but I had a feeling he would really get into it.

3. What a day for driving yesterday! TB enjoys cooking, though, and he made dinner while I was away at the doctor with Kristin. It was totally delicious!

4. Kristin actually saw the nurse practitioner and she has no problem at all with helping to manage Kristin's prescriptions. She wants Kristin to get blood work but also had some good information about a program through a lab for people who have little or no insurance. Yay!

5. Watched a movie with TB, Bill and Kristin called Apollo 18. It was okay but what was nicer was spending time with everyone. The really nice thing was that it wasn't a long movie so I could get to bed early because I needed to be up so early this morning.

Grace in Small Things 6

1. Today is my sweet TB's birthday. He is my best friend and the most wonderfullest husband ever! I wish him a day filled with joy and -- I pray -- the pain meds kick in and work for him very well today!

2. Bill is giving me a big break from driving by picking up Heidi from work. He's also picking up things I need for dinner. He says it's no big deal and it's all on his way anyway but I still gave him a big hug. I really appreciate it!

3. Today I'm starting to take the Christmas decorations down. As I do, I look at each thing and remember something special about this past Christmas season.

4. Heidi's early morning bus was on time. It's nice not to have to wait a long time!

5. I finished The Pillars of the Earth and am about to start the sequel, World Without End. Pillars was an absolutely awesome book!

More Miscellaneous Stuff

This little town I live in has been around since the Revolutionary War. TB found a website once that told him this town has had its share of good times and bad. I think it hit a height in the 1920s if I remember correctly. It was almost like a resort town. The natural lake reflects trees, sky, and any buildings like a mirror. Wikipedia says the median income for a family is around $45,000. I can tell you, with the cost of things these days that income isn't so great.

When we moved here almost 10 years ago, it didn't seem so run down. It was a middle class town with a barber, beauty parlor, library, grocery store, a few clothes stores, a shoe store, an ice cream parlor, a couple of fast food joints and too many auto parts stores.

There are two shopping centers not far from each other. One is the place everyone goes and the other is an eyesore. The owner of the eyesore gets some kind of tax breaks or something on the losses from the place and so he has no interest in improving things. At one point everyone wanted the place condemned including the town government. Somehow it didn't happen. The derelict lot is still there, bleak and ugly as ever.

We have a homeless population that has grown over the years. Many of them live in the woods. There's a hotel in town that provides shelter for the lucky ones.

There's supposed to be a couple of drug nests in town. I know where these places are and don't go there. I've never seen drugs bought or dealt anywhere I've been.

There's nothing for young people to do around here except go to the library. The nearest movie theater is about 20 miles away; same with the nearest mall. Luckily, we do have doctors and a couple of dentists here. Otherwise, we'd have to travel about 20 miles to find one.

I was ranting about the lack of public transportation around here. You really need a car to get anywhere, including the grocery store. Not everyone (including us) is lucky enough to live in walking distance of places we need.

Like I said, it just seemed like a middle class town when we moved here. Now, though, it's gotten older, sadder and poorer...like us.

I thought about boycotting Walmart and grocery stores but I don't think I'd be able to. With all the money those places make, they could treat their employees better. Part-timers get no benefits and these places like to schedule their employees up to an hour below full time just so they don't have to give them benefits. Walmart's benefits for full time employees will be going up as much as 60%. People don't make that much in those places. They'd have to decide between eating or paying bills or the health insurance. The other thing they do is suddenly cut the hours of their employees and hire a whole bunch of new ones. Employees can't be sure from week to week how long they'll be working.

If there was a Boycott Walmart day or week, I'd do it. I don't think I'd do it on my own because it would hurt me and my family and I don't want that. I can save a lot of money on groceries getting things at Walmart. That savings goes into our account for emergencies and things we need. It's about $5 or so here and there but it adds up!

As for boycotting the grocery stores...they all engage in this practice with their employees. I can shop less at grocery stores but there are still some things they carry I can't get elsewhere.

I wonder if there's another effective way of letting the grocery stores know I'm not pleased with them?

TB's recovering from his tooth extraction and hernia operation. He's very sore and hasn't much appetite and is sleeping a lot, but I guess that's to be expected. He sees his surgeon tomorrow. He has another tooth that is on its way out and it would be nice to save it but I doubt we can afford the root canal. So it goes.

The state (lack thereof) of public transportation around here

We're not a well-to-do community by any means. Not everyone (gasp!) can afford a car. The trouble is, around here, there's little to no access to any alternate means of transportation.

When I first moved here almost 10 years ago, I was shocked to learn that there's absolutely no taxi service. I'd moved from Long Island where there seems to be hundreds of cabbies going anywhere you needed them to go. I asked why no cabs would come to our town and I got two answers. One was because there are some areas with high drug usage (yeah? I bet there's lots of places like that in New York too! What, New York cabbies are braver or something?) and the other was because this is a poor area. Ahem. Not a lot of money to be made here. It seems unreasonable and outrageous to me. My son and I have both been approached by people we barely know, asking for a ride here there or home because there was no other way to get there. We both gave rides to those elderly or frail women but come on! They deserve better than to have to beg rides!

Having a cab available sure would have been helpful for us today. TB was having his tooth pulled at 8 and Kristin needed to be in her class 40 minutes away by 9. That was okay but ... how would TB get home? The class would go until 11:30. Bill was available to bring TB home if it could be done by 9:45. Then Bill would have to go to work. Heidi was already at work. Luckily, TB's tooth pulled without complications and so Bill was able to bring him home. If it had gone the other way, TB would have had a long uncomfortable wait. Either that, or I would have had to go in and pull Kristin from her class. Meanwhile, if we had taxi service, then all TB need do is call a cab if his appointment ran late. Good thing it didn't!

And the buses! They run once every two hours if you're lucky and then you have to have transportation to the bus stop. If we had no car, first we'd have to walk a mile for the little bus that runs around town and take it to the grocery store where Kristin works, hoping the arrival time will more or less coincide with the big bus that runs up the main drag. The schedule usually doesn't match and so you end up having to wait somewhere for a couple of hours coming or going.

To save gas and wear and tear on her old car, Heidi drives to the bus stop and then catches the big bus to the grocery store where she works. If she works from 8 to 3, she has to catch the 7 a.m. bus (which is fine) but then there's no bus in the afternoon until almost 5.

Kristin is one of the few kids around who has no car (can't afford one and we can't afford to get one for her) and can't drive (can't afford the insurance and neither can we) so I take her to her ASL class at the campus located 20 or 25 miles from home. With the cost of gas, there's no way I'd drop her off and go home like I do when she has classes at the local campus.

I called the bus company which was a total waste of time. I called the township and wasted more of my time. That kind of response is just one of the reasons I am so mad and fed up.

Update on navigating Bank of America Purgatory

Dealing with Bank of America (BOA) continues to be a Twilight Zone nightmare. The customer service people we talk to don't document all that we talk about unless they know they're being recorded. We never get the same person twice and can't ask for the person we've talked to because we've either been given a false name or that person is in a far-away call center (many times not even in this country!).

The latest fiasco happened after we first met with Consumer Credit Counseling (CCC). We had a follow-up phone conference between CCC, us and BOA. Nothing had happened and no one had escalated our issue from the first conference call. The issue (what happened to our paperwork?) had to be escalated again.

TB and I called about five days later. At first the representative (said his name was Mike) said that everything is "taking time" and when we didn't get off the phone right away, he checked further and found that we were declined again even before our follow-up call with the CCC rep. Why weren't we told then? Of course, Mike didn't know. He said our August 2009 payment to the old mortgage company hadn't been released to BOA yet--meanwhile, we've been getting different stories from different people about it.

He did say we could pay the same amount we'd pay if we were in the Making Homes Affordable program but--(Jaws theme music)--he couldn't send us written confirmation. He said for us not to call every week anymore. Gee, wonder why? He said we should call the first week of June to see if the MHA packet could be mailed to us. That would depend on our income.

Sigh.

We were supposed to see our CCC counselor on Friday but she wasn't there and rescheduled it to this Friday.

Today I made the idiotic move to call BOA to see what progress they'd made and spoke with Brenda in the Escalation Department. I called to check on the progress and also to verify the reduced payment would be okay. I just had this nasty feeling about it all! First she said there was no record of them reviewing our information or mailing a packet or anything remotely like helping us. Mike's notes about a reduced payment weren't there.

I was not surprised. I was surprised that I was pissed off and upset. I mean, what else did I expect from these people?

I wanted to know why Mike said it would be okay to pay as if we were on the MHA plan. She said she guessed it was because any payment would be credited to our account. I said uh uh, no way are we giving you anymore money to put us out on the street. I'll save it as moving money. She said okay, fine.

She also looked some more and said oh, I found the note now. They are working on sending you a packet. I expressed some doubt because they've been "working on sending a packet" since January. They keep declining us because they don't receive the packet that they've never sent. Three times.

She apologized. Isn't that nice? They always apologize. And say that they're really backlogged. And say that they "understand your frustration". And that this is happening to a lot of other people.

BOA was one of the banks bailed out by President Obama's program. They made huge profits last year. And they can't hire people to help with this so-called backlog?

The journey through Purgatory continues, although I did suggest that they come take the house and shove it up their a$$!

So that's how we left it.

GiST # 136 & Sunday Stuff

I guess this can be a catch-up kind of day.

TB and Kristin will both be having a little outpatient surgery in a couple of weeks. TB has an enlarged prostate and Kristin has a torn miniscus. For Kristin, there's the possibility the surgeon won't be able to repair the tear because of its location. In that case, he'll just trim the area.

We have a situation going on that I'm really dying to vent about but can't. Our trust has been totally violated ... again. There is someone who has no conscience and continues to take advantage of loved ones who are gullible and trying to help or just loyal or what have you. There is someone who just doesn't care what kind of bind these gullible loved ones are placed into (financial and otherwise). There is someone who does bad things and expects no consequences, flouting whatever guidelines are in place. I feel bad for the gullible ones--they just don't "get it". This person will just keep going along causing more hurt and not feeling remorse about it. That's about as far as I can go with my ranting.

I haven't done a GiST in a long time either so maybe I can start the Sunday routine with that.


Grace in Small Things #136

1. The mortgage company agreed to let us pay the monthly payment we'd send if we were in the Making Homes Affordable program.

2. We're cooperating together to try and cut our electric bill and our food expenses. The air conditioner is still off even though it's getting uncomfortably hot in the house. We'll probably have to turn it on tomorrow.

3. Heidi stepped up to bail Kristin out of a real jam. Hopefully this will be a learning experience that won't be repeated because the bail out happens just once! I'm so impressed with the level of compassion here.

4. It's good to get validation from others that my concerns about something that happened yesterday are legitimate.

5. We have quick'n'easy meats in the freezer that don't require heating up the kitchen. That's so important on days like this one!

The Sunday Seven

Other than members of our military, name seven people (by occupation) for whom you are grateful.

1. Police officers
2. Fire fighters
3. EMTs
4. Nurses
5. Teachers
6. Child advocates
7. Health techs that know how to draw blood properly on the first try

Unconscious Mutterings

1. Fresh air :: Outside
2. Bodyguard :: Protector
3. Wedding :: Marriage
4. Remind :: Remember
5. Wicked :: Evil
6. Crawling :: Spider
7. Gasoline :: Car
8. Anyone :: Whoever
9. Dancing :: Bears
10. Wall :: Room

1. Make a list of 5 things you can see without getting up.
My cat Kosmo, my Irish bear beanie, my Native American coffee cup, cat TB made for me, pictures of the kids

2. How do you style your hair? How often do you cut it? I usually keep it short and simple. I try to get it cut every 6 weeks but it doesn't always work out financially.

3. What are you wearing now? tee shirt, shorts & underwear

4. What's your occupation? Do you like it? I was an interpreter for the deaf and I loved it. Now I'm disabled and I guess you'd call me a stay-at-home mom? Or I was ... until my kids grew up. Love that too.

5. When was the last time that you took a nap? Was there a special reason? I took a nap this afternoon because it's hot outside and I got sleepy

6. Who was the last person you hugged romantically? TB of course

8. What was the last full meal that you ate? Lunch

9. What was the last email that you received? Support from a friend

10. What one website do you always visit when you go online? Facebook

11. What was the last significant thing you bought? How significant is significant? I can't think of any--haven't had money.

12. What musical artist did you not get at first, but then became a fan? Jimi Hendrix. Okay...I know that was years ago.

13. What do you think about before you go to bed last night? I wish I could read one more page in my book but I'm falling asleep

14. What was the last CD you bought? It was a Celtic Christmas music CD, don't remember which artist

15. What is your favorite weather, and why? What's the weather like today? I love fall weather best. It's warm but not hot. Today is hot

16. If you could have a special artistic talent, what would it be? Doing caricatures. That seems like fun!

17. Did you watch the Idol 9 finale? If yes, what are your thoughts? Please. I'm sure I'm not the only person in America that did not watch it.

18. What's something you'd like to say to someone right now? Stop it!

19. Any special plans for this (holiday in the States) weekend? Relaxation

20. Besides your current S/O, who was the last person that you loved romantically? That would be my first DH, Rich, who died

I'm about to scream, wail & gnash my teeth...

...because my husband needs stuff we can't afford. Those who have great medical coverage won't get it. Those who are in the same boat as us are probably going through something like this.

TB needs Cymbalta for the pain he's in all the time. It helps him not need so much morphine and percocet. The trouble is the cost because it's a name brand and there's no generic. It's expensive now with the crummy plan we have. Once we fall into the doughnut hole it'll really become unaffordable.

It's the same thing with testosterone. TB's tired all the time and needs to boost his levels. In addition, if he doesn't have enough he could suffer bone loss. You'd think this hormone is readily available in a generic--but it's also very expensive. And we'll have the same problem when we're in the doughnut hole.

With our luck, wouldn't you know that as soon as we pulled up from the doctor's office today the frames on TB's glasses broke. Know how expensive frames and lenses are for people with heavy duty prescriptions? The eye exam is probably covered but not a dollar for the frames or lenses.

So. TB has to have the glasses. As for the prescriptions, we are left with the choice: does TB go without or do we just stop paying someone? Like ... the mortgage company? I don't know that TB will get into one of the prescription programs offered by the manufacturers because they tend to be for those unfortunates without any insurance at all. So, once again, we are left with some tough choices.

This is one reason why we needed health insurance reform ... and it probably ain't gonna happen.

Mancat Monday & Navigating Bank of America Purgatory

Wow, here's someone I haven't seen on my desk in a looong time--Kosmo!


Kosmo sez, well, Ma, maybe it's cuz o'dat flashy ting! Now, go 'way!

Want more cat blogging and Man Cat Monday?

Be sure to check out Blogging Cat Noos for all the latest!

While I'm waiting for the Dave Ramsey talk show to come on, I thought I might share out adventures in Bank of Americaland, AKA Purgatory or even BOA-Hell.

It all started last year when we realized how difficult life was trying to manage the mortgage we had. It's way more than 30% of our new income now that TB is disabled and unable to work too. I called one month to let them know we were going to be very late and lo and behold! I find out we might qualify for a restructuring program.

We filled out the paperwork filled with hope and sent it back overnight mail. Then we waited to hear. It would take at least 45 business days. We were able to make our payment but after paying it, our gas and electric bill, vites/supplements/protein we require post surgery, water/sewer, telephone/cable and food/gas, we had nothing left over...not for haircuts or lunch out, never mind car repairs and emergencies. We sweat through Christmas and give home made gifts to the immediate family. We try (successfully) "Secret Santa" for the family.

In the meantime, a new issue crops up. See, our original mortgage holder was Taylor, Bean & Whittaker and we'd never had a problem with them. All of a sudden, though, our account (and everyone else's with this company it turns out) went to Bank of America Home Lending. I didn't learn until recently that Taylor, Bean & Whitaker actually folded. Anyway, our last mortgage payment was sent to them and was supposed to be forward to Bank of America...but apparently it wasn't. That started a back and forth you-didn't-pay-yes-we-did merry-go-round ride. That's another long story for another post.

In January, we still haven't heard anything so I begin calling. First of all, the call centers have been outsourced to countries outside of the United States. Fluency in English apparently is not a prerequisite for working in the call center. Not only is it hard to get someone to understand what I need, I'm put on hold for 20 minutes while someone new is fetched. One day I spent nearly two hours on the phone and spoke to 8 different people. I guess it was that day that I finally learned the truth because I refused to hang up or allow some phantom to call me back. Believe me, they sure tried to get me off the phone.

I finally got a supervisor with Person #8. First the supervisor told me we'd never sent in the paperwork and so our application had been denied on the basis of "lack of evidence". I had the receipt from overnight express however and after a long time on hold and many requests to call me back, he finally comes on and admits that yes, they did have the paperwork but that our application was turned down because we didn't qualify for that program. Further, the supervisor informed me, they knew when they received the paperwork that we wouldn't qualify for that program because we weren't three months delinquent. Incredulous, I wanted to know why they'd even bother trying to get us into that program and he goes, "I don't know."

Supposedly at that point, Bank of America dropped the call. I had to call again, run another gauntlet of people who don't speak English and finally talked to someone in a department with people at risk of default--which is where we should have been directed in the very first place! The man I talked to qualified us by phone and said he would transfer our paperwork to this new application but it would be another 45 days before we heard anything--March 25, he promised.

So when I call back a few days after March 25 (trying to give the SOBs the benefit of the doubt) and asked for this man, I was told (a) there was no such person and when I began to panic (b) we couldn't speak to the same person we originally called because there are call centers all over the place and God knows who's picking up the phone. Isn't that just reassuring? Anyway, I asked about our application and the woman tells me that everything is backed up because there are so many people needing help but she's going to put in a "rush" so that we hear in 5 business days.

She also says we're waiting to hear from "the investor" who's going to decide whether or not we will be backed and then there's a bunch of new forms to fill out. What investor? I ask. She says, I can't say.

Now, I haven't put down anyone's names but I have been collecting them and, trust me, it hasn't been easy. You want to talk about reluctant? It's like pulling teeth and especially from this bird.

Next I call HUD (Housing & Urban Development) which is where the Making Homes Affordable program originates because I'm not trusting BOA anymore. She asks me if they sent me "a packet" and I say no, the woman told me we'd get the packet after "the investor" approves us. The HUD lady says that's not correct and I about died. She has me go to a website to download information and applications there. She said to get back with the bank in the five days to see what they say and, meantime, get this packet ready to go.

When I call back to BOA, of course I can't speak to the woman I'd talked to most recently and so I record yet another man's name and proceed. After being placed on hold for a long time, the man comes back and tells me our application has been denied due to lack of information. I feel like I'm about to have a nervous breakdown. The man says our application was turned down March 10th and I totally flip. Why didn't that woman tell me when I called on March 31? That should have been in our file! He says, I dunno. I go, why were we never notified by letter or email or phone call? He goes, I dunno. Then he offers helpfully (ha) to put in an emergency request to qualify us for this program and generate new paperwork...but it's going to take five days and oh, by the way, someone will call us to tell us if we can qualify.

Uh-uh. I don't believe them anymore. I don't trust them. He says okay, if you don't hear back in five days, just give us a call.

Right.

I ask to speak to someone over his head to complain about this entire situation and he says I could call "the office of the president" and someone will "take care of it" right away. He gives me the phone number but doesn't offer to transfer me.

I call the number and, of course, it's not the office of the president nor will they take a complaint because the representative didn't file it for me. The lady I speak to, though, does offer to help make sure the representative did the correct thing. Now ... here's why I haven't used anyone's names in this post. I give the woman his name--the guy I was just talking to--and she says, "oh, but that's not his real name."

Yaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!!

Is it time to call Dave Ramsey yet? I think it is...

Men, Pain & Fibromyalgia

I've suspected for a while that TB might have fibromyalgia in addition to the joint and other related issues that causes him so much pain he can't sleep and the doctor needed to increase his meds.

Here is a fact that is very frustrating: men are not "supposed" to suffer with pain. They are "supposed" to suck it up and tough it out and go do whatever even if they are ready to drop because of agony. That makes me crazy. I can tell you times when we weren't able to go to some function and someone said something to the effect that TB should just tough it out.

And fibromyalgia? Hey, that's "a woman's thing". Guess what. No it isn't! There are websites out there with information about men and fibromyalgia like this one.

Men are raised to believe that men don’t cry. They are told to "shake it off" and to "take it like a man." Men fix things, men are the hunters, men are supposed to be the breadwinners, the head of the household. Men are inundated with these concepts from a very early age. Showing pain is showing weakness to so many men. Fibromyalgia does not shake off. Fibromyalgia does not give up. It does not stop for anyone, or anything.

Even TB's doctor, the one who increased the level of his really scary-heavy-duty-narcotic pain medication scoffs. He agreed to check the trigger points from head to waist. Although TB was sensitive in all those places, the doctor thinks TB's got neuropathy or that all this pain is from "the loss of all that weight". Right. The pain in his neck and skull is from weight loss. Suuuuuuuure.

Like me, TB's also experiencing this scary thing called fibrofog. I think of it as like having cotton-candy-in-the-brain. It doesn't happen all the time but when it does, it's really debilitating! Now, have this happen to a man who's already saddled with all these expectations about what a guy is supposed to think and feel and it's even more debilitating because now they're beating themselves up because it's happening. Grrrrr!

That's okay. We're going to a chronic pain management specialist, one who deals with fibromyalgia and one who can advise us the best way to manage all that pain.

And everyone else? We're doing the best we can. We're not pushing past the point of endurance and no more sucking it up either.

I don't trust Bank of America

How can I continue to leave my money in the care of Bank of America (BOA) when I don't trust them? Answer: I can't! As soon as I can, I'm bailing out of this horrible bank.

I used to do my banking with Fleet and then they were absorbed by BOA. At first, we just had to put up with the inconveniences of marginal customer service. The wait time is ridiculous, both inside the bank and outside, through the drive through. The fees are punitive. Still, we'd developed a good rapport with a couple of the tellers and one of the customer service reps so we stuck it out.

Then ... our mortgage was sold to BOA. That began the irreversible slide to my total mistrust of BOA today. We applied for a mortgage restructure in November--we qualified for one of the many programs available to struggling home owners. After a nightmarish 90 minute long ordeal of trying to get through to someone who (a) spoke good English and (b) knew what they were talking about, we finally spoke to a person who said we'd fit into President Obama's newest initiative. Great!

We received all the necessary paperwork, filled it out and sent it by overnight. Luckily. I kept all the receipts. And then we waited. And waited. Finally, we got a letter that said our file had been closed because we hadn't returned any paperwork. I called and spent 2 hours on the phone. The first hour was spent getting through the "outsourced" personnel who are the ones who answer the calls first. I have no idea which country they're from and I suppose BOA doesn't care that the first contact their customers have are with people that cannot speak English well.

The second hour was spent trying to get a straight story from someone. In that hour I was told:

don't worry, the letter says we're still processing your paperwork (I had the letter; that's NOT what it said--it said the file was CLOSED)

you didn't provide your financial information (I did and had copies of what I'd provided)

you didn't return the packet to us in time (I did and had a copy of the overnight receipt from the post office)

Finally I got a supervisor that said the truth was, we'd been declined because we didn't meet the requirements of that program. We were still current with our mortgage, not 90 days behind. Further, they knew we didn't meet the criteria when we applied.

I talked with the person in charge of the HUD programs. There is another program we should have been plugged in to -- one for at-risk-of-defaulting homeowners. He said he could use the information we'd submitted and go for that program, no problem.

What could I do? I felt I had to trust him.

The other day, there was a message on my machine from BOA. The return number provided was the one from hell, the one where the representative speaks broken English. So I called and explained I need to speak to Mr. Smith (not his name). The representative, of course, couldn't just put my call in. He looks at my account and tells me there's nothing to indicate that we have a pending application for a restructure.

I felt like I was going to have a nervous breakdown right there and then. I hung up. I went online and sent an email to my bank asking for help. I contacted BOA Home Lending to tell them from now on, we'd communicate in writing only.

I have no trust in them.

Now, to make matters worse, I no longer trust the branch where we do our checking. We'd had several small savings accounts--one of them linked with our checking. We were dealing with heavy fees because we didn't maintain $300 in each account so it seemed better to close them. The one that was linked though ... I remember clearly that TB asked the customer rep if it was linked to our checking account, provided overdraft protection and was free from the monthly maintenance fee? The woman said yes and so TB said, okay, good, that's the one we want to keep.

The other day, the company we deal with for vitamins and supplements made a mistake and put a hold on our account for $200. They thought they were supposed to ship a supply of stuff but they weren't. While the money was on hold, other things "bounced". TB said it wasn't a problem because, for a $10 fee, the bank would just automatically move the money over from savings until the mistake was cleared up ... but they didn't.

I tried to deal with them first and was just put off. I'd already had such a bad experience the other day with Home Lending that I said I wanted out of BOA, wanted PNC and nothing more to do with BOA. So TB called them back yesterday and from what I heard, things didn't go well at all.

Apparently, they told TB that he'd *insisted* on removing the link between the checking and savings accounts and that's why there was no transfer, no overdraft protection. They also refused to credit back the overdraft charges, even after the vitamin company removed the hold. When they did that, there WAS plenty of money in the account for the other things so ... WTF? The person talking to TB suggested he try to recover the overdraft fees from the vitamin company. At that point, TB hung up and shut down.

This, after he'd done business with that damn bank for well over 10 years. This, from people we thought we knew and trusted.

It's no wonder that BOA came in as #7 on the list of America's least trusted banks. Not that they care...

Suffering, voting and GRIP

So the Democrats lost Massachusetts? Well ... boo hoo. Don't get me wrong, I am by no means a Republican. I used to be a Democrat but now I would classify myself as a disenchanted and angry independent. That's why I voted for Chris Christie, a Republican, over Jon Corzine, a Democrat. I am angry and fed up with incumbent politicians, whatever their affiliations.

In New Jersey, we've had Democratic governors for years. Corzine won handily a few years back and I voted for him. I have been spectacularly unimpressed since. He's been arrogant and out of touch with the people of this state. We're suffering, man, and what does he do? Nothing! In fact, he does things to hurt us further, like take away the middle class property tax rebate. When he was running last fall, he didn't take us (the voters) seriously--he didn't really bother to campaign except to sling mud at his opponent, Christie.

I was in a mind to vote for the independent candidate...until I realized that if I did that, Corzine would win. The independent and Christie would split the vote--that's how Corzine would win. There was no way I wanted that...and thankfully, I think the other unhappy Democrats and even independents realized it too. So ... Christie won.

The same thing just happened in Massachusetts. When Senator Kennedy died, his seat was vacated and so there was a special election. The Democratic candidate apparently figured there was no doubt she'd get the seat. Kennedy'd had it for nearly 50 years and Massachusetts is heavily Democratic. Well, her arrogance cost her the election because she didn't get how angry the voters were. So ... good for them!

As for health care reform, ask me if I care that it might fail! I hope it does! It's a lousy, stinky bill now and my opinion is that everyone needs to walk away from it and start over.

As for what's happening to TB, my family and me, I was on the phone with that stupid mortgage company for two hours before I finally got someone to tell me that our restructure application was denied because ... get this ... we aren't 3 months behind in our payments! The assistance to homeowners that Pres. Obama got passed helps those with FHA loans only IF they are three months behind. Further, our bank KNEW we didn't qualify for those reasons when they tried to submit us for that program! I could hardly contain myself but ...

it's a good thing I managed to hold my temper. After speaking to 10 people (no exaggeration, I ticked them off on paper) I was finally put through to a man who deals with HUD and with homeowners at risk of default. He qualified me for the program over the phone and now they just have to "verify" information before I'll find out whether or not we're accepted in the program. How long will this process take? Who thinks at least 2 months? Ding ding ding, you're right! So we have to try and hang in another two months. We are holding by our finger nails. Oh well.

Oh and I just realized I forgot about GRIP. I heard about GRIP listening with TB to a radio talk show program on 101.5 hosted by Jim Gearhart. Yup he is a conservative and I'm not usually a fan of conservative talk shows. The thing is ... a lot of what he says makes sense to me and so I've begun to listen to him more often.

GRIP = Get Rid of Incumbent Politicians

That's what we voters need to do. It doesn't matter what party they belong to. If they're in office and they don't do a good job or represesent us the way we want them to, get them out!

Even though it's my birthday ...

...I feel strongly enough about this issue that I have to blog about it. I should have been more vocal from the get-go instead of working behind the scenes most of the time. I just felt too cynical about anyone caring to do much about health care reform. I am feeling bitter and angry and don't have much hope for decent reform but I'd rather say something than nothing at all. At this point, readers may say, "oh, BOR-ing" and move on. Oh well. This affects me kids now and you know how moms get when her kids are threatened. I use "you" generally and don't mean to single out any specific reader or group of readers or people just surfing by.

I got into health care form years and years ago--after Rich's major heart surgery in 1987. When Bill Clinton became president, he and his wife pushed hard for health care reform and I actually had some flickers of hope even though (from other advocacy involvement) I knew that lobbyists have the money and the power and they're the ones that get the Congressmen and Senators to vote for what their clients want. Children and poor people have no power because they can't afford the lobbyists. That's just the way it is.

People may think: oh, well, I already have a good health insurance policy. Why should I care? It's not broken for me. And I don't want my tax money going to support (you fill in the blank: illegal immigrants, "lazy bums", the homeless, etc. etc. . I don't want all this government involvement in my health care. Ahem.

What do you think is already happening? People who can't afford insurance put off going to the doctor. When they do go, treating them is more expensive. When they can't pay, the cost is passed on to everyone else--the taxpayers. And drug companies and insurance companies have already dragged the government in, dictating how we're cared for and where we can get our prescriptions filled.

Going back to the "I already have a good health insurance policy" thought: Rich had a catastrophic health insurance policy in place when he had to have heart surgery. We still had to file for bankruptcy. You think you have a good policy but then something disastrous happens and what then? Also: what happens if you get laid off and you can't afford COBRA? What then? What if you make just a little too much income to qualify for assistance but not enough to get health insurance coverage and pay your bills? And what if, as is proposed in this hellacious bill health care's become, you are *mandated* to buy a policy whether you can afford it or not--or pay a fine? Would you care then?

Here's the personal face on all this--what is happening to me and my family.

When TB became totally disabled in 2006 or '07, we lost health insurance coverage. We couldn't afford COBRA. Since TB and I were both on SSD (social security disability), we could get Medicare...otherwise we would be uninsured now and totally screwed. Because of our health issues, we need a secondary or we'd totally go belly-up. The prescription and secondary plans cost us about $500 a month together. Our children, of course, don't qualify at all for Medicare.

We could get Medicaid (NJ Family Care) for Kristin because she's a dependent minor. The insurance company uses a sliding scale according to income and it does NOT factor in things like mortgage expenses or the fact that TB and I have an income less than 1/2 of what we used to bring in. So we have a co-pay for that. Sometimes we have to rob Peter to pay Paul but we do it because she's got to have the coverage. Now NJ mandates coverage for all children in NJ...I don't know what parents do if they can't afford to rob Peter to pay Paul.

We tried to get coverage for Bill and Heidi because they are full time college students but we couldn't because they both work jobs that put them just over the % above poverty level Medicaid guidelines require. If they weren't college students, they wouldn't qualify for assistance ... period.

Under this reform bill, health care will be mandated for everyone. That means in my kids' case, they will be required to buy a health insurance policy ... or pay a fine. It doesn't matter they can't afford one. It doesn't matter that they can't afford to get their cars repaired, get hair cuts, new clothes or shoes when they need to and that paying their car insurance is such a tight squeeze.

Think this can't happen to you? Read these scenarios to see how the reform will affect you: Health Care Changes: Five Examples. If you live in the United States, one of these scenarios fits you, I'm sure. Heck, maybe you're one of the lucky wealthy ones who doesn't have to worry if you lose your coverage. But more than likely, you're more like me ... or my kids.

If you are, you need to DO something! Get educated! Contact your senators and congressional representatives! Call or write the President. Contact a health reform advocacy group and get involved like I did. If enough people start to DO something, I can shake off the bitterness and disillusionment I feel toward the sheep (the ignorant) and the superior (the uncaring).

Here is what my son wrote:

Dear Senator ...,
I hope you find yourself well. I also hope you've gotten this letter, I know you're busy. If you have, I wonder, what is your opinion on mandated health insurance? I do hope you realize it won't work. It places considerable pressure on the lower middle class, it won't significantly improve their health care, since hospitals don't turn down uninsured patients anyway, and it probably won't reduce their medical bill, either. Have you, sir, ever been a member of the lower middle class, and had a parent get injured, get surgery, and then have to fight the insurance for months, as bills pile up, only to watch this family member forced to take a small out of court settlement because he/she can't afford a lawyer?
Here's a question, what happens when someone, such as myself, hasn't got enough money to afford this mandated health insurance? Would you arrest me senator ...? I'm sure you wouldn't suggest I "get a job," as I have two. You wouldn't want me to quit college to pay for living, I'm sure.
I realize how important it is to reform health care. I do. I myself have attention deficit disorder, and can't afford my own medication. This, sir, is not reform. This is simply requiring people to use an already extant, and quite unfeasible, option. The reason why so much of America is uninsured, Senator ..., is that they can't afford it, not that they need to be told to buy it.
Thank you for taking the time to read my letter, busy as you are,
Bill ...

P.S. So you know, I'm a NJ "democrat," and voted Obama because I agreed with a majority of his positions, including health care. I support socialized health care, not compulsory "paying the wealthy owners of insurance companies for living."
B.

Kill that legislation ... PLEASE!

This is an email I just sent to family and close friends, people I normally don't annoy with my politics:

Hi you guys,
Usually I don’t get involved with politics but have you been following this health care reform bill? It’s turned into a joke, designed to help no one but the insurance and drug companies. I am SO ANGRY.

I’ve petitioned and advocated for health care reform since 1988 or 1989. Does anyone remember that Rich, the kids and I appeared in US News & World Reports and also on The David Brinkley Hour back when the Clintons were discussing reform? We knew that long ago the system was dysfunctional … Rich had “catastrophic” health care insurance and we still went bankrupt. I’ve marched on picket lines with union employees. I’ve called and I’ve written letters. I’ve emailed.

Now, instead of being reassured that my full-time working, full time college student kids will have *some* kind of coverage, I fear they may end up “criminals”. Oh yes, there’s a mandate for everyone to be insured … the kids would be FORCED to buy junk policies from one of the insurance companies … one of the ones causing this problem in the first place! What if my kids can’t afford it? They can barely afford to pay all their expenses as it is and my husband and I are unable to help them financially.

Now, we’re the faces of people you know – not just people you hear about or read about in the newspaper and say, oh, gee that’s tough … more poor people draining our system or illegals or “bums” or whatever you might think when you read about so many uninsured and underinsured.

Please at least contact your representative so that this piece of crap doesn’t pass. If we’re to have health reform, let it be something that actually HELPS the ones who need it the most!

Thanks.

That would be a great birthday present for me.

Love/Best wishes,
Cassie

Christmas gift suggestions: To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect.
~ Oren Arnold



Subject: Stop a bad bill

Hi,

The latest Senate health care bill has no public option. No expansion of Medicare. And it does too little to guarantee that uninsured Americans will actually be able afford the coverage they'll be required to purchase.

But it's not too late to fix the bill. And as Joe Lieberman has shown, just one senator willing to stand in the way can force legislation to be changed dramatically.

Senator Bernie Sanders has already made clear that he's opposed to the legislation in its current form. I just signed a petition urging him and other progressives to block it until it's fixed. Will you join me?

http://pol.moveon.org/block/?r_by=-17453619-MXlNG6x&rc=confemail

Thanks!

Just wanted to share...

XM Brands Scam III: This is it! This is the article!

It popped up again! This is the article that sucked me in, and looking at the URL, I realize: I should have known better! ARGH!

Breaking News: Google Now Hiring People To Work From Home

I couldn't even leave a comment blasting them. The ability to comment is shut down.

Lousy con artists!

ETA: It's not exactly the same but it's on the same idea. You pay $1.95 for this so called deal. If you don't cancel in 3 days, you get charged over $100 plus another $39 for training materials. I didn't get far enough into it to read and see if the fine print includes selling your info to other companies. You know, they ought to just be honest about the cost from the get-go. Them who has the money to invest will do it. Why rook everyone who shows an interest?

XM Brands Scam II: Just when you think it's going to be all right ...

I called XM Brands and was one of the lucky ones to get through and cancel. I was also very happy to see that the $79 pending charge was gone--wiped off like a smear of dirt on the windshield. Think my account is safe? I hoped so! But then we read this...

This was written by Carla, 4th person on the list complainants:

OMG! How did I fall for this crap. I went to the grocery store last night and couldn't even get groceries for 40.00. My account had been hit over Thanksgiving for more than 100.00!! I had to charge my groceries. I called today and here is what I found. Profit Library gives your debit to several companies. One guy argued and said that I "clicked" a box when signing up that allowed my info to be shared. Last time I checked, when is it ok for affiliates to use your account number, maybe use me as a "lead" but to take my money? Grantline Professional, who I just happened to call....had me on file with a subscription I had to cancel...didn't know I had it. Their number is 877-317-0193 and they had just charged me a 1.00 this morning under the name "moneysearch". Web Hosting is closed on weekends, but 8-12 EST (how convenient) at 888-228-8815. XM Brands charged me 77.83; don't know who they are or if I have a legitimate number and Google Profit Library is a BIG FAT LIAR, they are NOT open 7 days a week as the FAKE responder posted on this site; they are open M-F 8-12 EST....how convienent trying to cancel. I tried cancelling the next day when they started calling me and the girl said it was a different number I had to call; how did she know it? mmmm. I filed fraud with my bank, RIP OFF report.com and I will be calling the FTC tomorrow. The F*&# with the wrong one...especially since the fine print said I had 8 day trial and not 5.....contradicting isn't?

What upsets me is that this company sold or shared my debit card information with other companies by sneaking it into the very fine print. So although I'm cancelling with them, these other companies already have my information. Are they obligated to not use it? Think I'd trust them? NO WAY. So I think I'll have to close my PNC account! :(

I just added my complaint to Pissed Off Consumer:

Pissed+Consumer+-+Consumer+Reports%2C+Complaints+and+Company+reviews

XM Brands: Don't let this happen to you...

Things have been getting tighter around here. Recently, when I've applied for jobs I've gotten the distinct feeling that my age works against me more so than the partial disability. I thought about working from home but so many places you sign up for are nothing more than scams! Anyway, I was surfing around reading blogs and on one, I saw a reference to making money with google. Google's a respected company--not a scam, I thought.

I clicked on the link to read the article associated with it. It was about how stay-at-home moms making extra money by uploading ads for Google. There was yet another link going someplace that would explain how to get the software for training. I should have realized that the article itself was probably phony but all I thought was 'this is google'. I clicked on the second link and went to a website claiming to be Google Library. The software cost $1.97. That should have tipped me off too but I thought 'I can afford to lose $2 if it's just a scam' and so I clicked.

Bad move.

I've since learned (from my son) that when you're at a website like that, you can do a right click on the URL and then click properties to find out who the link *really* belongs to. TB said before he gets anything from a place he's not familiar with he'll do a search on the company to see what kind of information comes up about it.

I'll know better next time.

First, the purchase of the software went through. Then there was another small purchase of $1.94 and then a $.05 international charge. I didn't know about these next two. Sunday, the fraud department at PNC called to verify new charges coming through the checking account. The next one was for $79.95, causing an overdraft to that account. I was horrified. The fraud department had put a freeze on my account even as other charges were coming in.

My debit card was cancelled at our request.

I got on the phone with the account division of the bank and told them about the fraud. The representative was able to put a dispute in for the second and third charges. The fourth one, the one that would cause an overdraft, was still on hold but possibly could be posted. I was so upset but the lady assured me that even it did go through the bank would do an investigation. That charge and any fees associated with it would be credited back to me.

I didn't feel very much better. I feel so stupid.

When I saw the charge for $1.97 on my statement, I realized the name of the company wasn't Google at all. It was XM Brands MU Cancun. Cancun??? And I wonder what the MU refers to? The $79 purchase had something to do with cosmetics according to the fraud guy.

Guys, be on your guard. I was sucked in because I wanted a legit way to work from home--I needed money and felt I wasn't marketable. "Desperation" makes us easy marks.

This XM company is everywhere!

Here are some links about them:

Scam

Scam II
Misleading Information


Ripoff Report

Unauthorized Charges
Need Money Scam: XM Brands

To the con man that cost my son his job...

Dear Thief & Con Man:

You are nothing but evil.

It's bad enough to sin by stealing but you knowingly came into the store and callously stole not only from Walmart but also from my son. Maybe you knew when he accepted your fraudulent check that he'd probably get fired but you didn't care.

My son is a very bright kid and very knowledgeable, very helpful. I'm sure you listened patiently as he talked about the different notebooks Walmart had for sale and the virtue of one over the other. You probably saw that my son was an easy mark because for all his intelligence, he is still naive. He swallowed your story about wanting to start your own business.

He took your check. He ran it through the computer and it seemed to be fine. I don't know if store computers are sophisticated enough to recognize fraudulent checks. When my son made his fatal error and didn't call over the department manager to approve the purchase, I'm sure you rubbed your hands in glee. You'd gotten over on a mark and now you were going to walk with a couple thousand dollars in merchandise.

The next day, you went to a different Walmart and tried to return the computers but you were found out. Unfortunately, you slithered away before you could be detained. Hey, what the heck, right? You'll make your money back on ebay, won't you?

My son is a full time student in college, working full time to help us out because we are disabled and strapped. Now he has no job. Of course, corporate Walmart could give him a job back but he wouldn't be in that department. He'd start over again as a cashier. We're hoping that happens but it's not likely. It's not going to be easy for my son to find another job with this black mark against him, this error in judgement--because he believed you were on the up and up.

Merry Christmas, you son of a bitch. You may not pay for it now, but there will be a price you'll pay and it'll be worse than anything you could have imagined here on earth.

Sincerely,
Disgusted Mother

Meme Monday and the election blues!

I will be so glad when this election is over! For months now, we've been bombarded with Corzine vs. Christie ads. For those don't know, Jon Corzine's our current governor and Chris Christie is one of his challengers.

Jon Corzine has been, in my not so humble opinion, one of the worst governors it's been my displeasure to have to deal with. Since taking office, he's not only broken all his significant campaign promises (lowering taxes, ending corruption, bringing more jobs to NJ) he's also an arrogant jerk. He won't answer questions, he won't debate and he hasn't said word one about how he plans to address his shortcomings. He just assumes that he's going to sail in easily for his second term...and with the unions and "The Blob" (the corrupt politicians in Trenton) and diehard Democrats supporting him, it may just happen.

President Obama was here campaigning for this man yesterday and TB and I felt betrayed. I mean, I realize the president has to support Corzine because they're both Democrats but to speak so glowingly of the guy? Ugh!

We've lost our property tax rebate--all middle class home owners lost it and it hurts. We're not wealthy--why does the middle class always have to take such a hit? Property taxes have gone up so much and jobs have dried up as employers leave NJ for better locations in the south. I've read a lot about New Jerseyans moving out of state to less expensive places. Shoot, we'd move to Delaware if we could!

Corzine does nothing but sling mud in his capaign against Christie. First he started out with personal attacks, even ridiculing Christie's weight. Christie took the high road and didn't respond back. When the Christie ads did began running, the focus was on changes he could bring that would help us. Corzine's ads have become more strident and designed to inflame and scare the voters.

Enough already! I plan on voting against anyone who's in office--Corzine and whoever my district representative is. They haven't done diddly-squat! I sure will be happy when the polls close tomorrow night!



Most of the U.S. observed Daylight Savings Time yesterday. Is it easy or difficult for you to switch your body clock? Do you suffer from jet lag when traveling? It's easier for my to go to standard time (fall back) that it is to go to daylight savings (spring forward). I think my biological clock is more in tune with standard time. Daylight savings time is something that was forced on us. :P

If you had to pick one place in your town to bring a tourist, where would you go? Around here? In town? There really isn't anywhere in this town. We could go places locally, like to the state forest or to Whitesbog Village or to the beach.

When you travel away from home, do you miss it?
Not especially.

Random 10

Ten songs on my playlist from this weekend:

1. Monster Mash
2. Time Warp
3. Thriller
4. It's Magic
5. Witchy Woman
6. Werewolves of London
7. Bad Moon Rising (it was in the movie American Werewolf in London)
8. Bad Moon Rising (see above)
9. The Devil Went Down To Georgia
10. Tubular Bells



Monday Movie Meme

Share on your blog mafia movies that left their mark with you and link back here at The Bumbles.

Since The Bumbles already mentioned Good Fellas, The Untouchables and The Departed, I'll say:

The Godfather: An all time classic, this was the first "modern" mob movie I ever saw. Previously, I'd just seen things like White Heat and Scarface (the original, not the one with Al Pacino).

The Road To Perdition: This one really affected me because of what happened to Michael--all due to one boyish prank. There was a lot of suspense and a lot of pathos!

Casino wasn't as thrilling as Good Fellas but it did have two of the actors: Robert DeNiro and Joe Pesci. It doesn't get any better than that!

Tuesday Memes

Now I'm sneezing and have a stuffy nose. It doesn't help that I ran into Kristin's friend's mother while I was at Wawa. She looked pale and washed out but she's looked that way before. I knew she has really bad chronic pain issues and now I hear she's got lupus, MS, and an assortment of other bad stuff. Anyway, it was crowded in Wawa at this particular time and I didn't even realize she was there until she called to me.

I looked over, said hello and asked how she was doing. She said, "I'm not supposed to be here." I was surprised and asked why. She started mouthing something to me and I couldn't understand her so I asked her to repeat it. I still couldn't understand her so I moved closer to her so she could whisper to me. "I have swine flu."

I leapt backward like six feet. Why on earth would she go to Wawa with swine flu? She said, "I'll go this way" and slunk around all the people who were there (and hadn't heard her) to slither out the door and away. Wawa has great coffee...but it's not *that* great!

What's up with some of these people?



10 Favorite Movie Moments

1. When Rick tells Ilsa to go with her husband (Casablanca) or she'll regret her decision for the rest of her life.

2. When Harvey (Harvey) returns to Elwood P. Dowd and says something (we can't hear it). Then Elwood says, "Why, thank you, Harvey, I prefer you too."

3. When Doris and Fred find Kris' cane in "Susan's" house (Miracle on 34th Street) and realize he IS Santa Claus

4. When Grandma talks about preferring the roller coaster to the merry-go-round (Parenthood)

5. When we realize that Norman Bates (Psycho) is the one impersonating his murderous mother

6. When Dr. Crowe realizes that's he's one of the 'dead people' Cole sees (The Sixth Sense)

7. The sinking sequence of the Titanic

8. When Forrest finds out he's Young Forrest's father (Forrest Gump)

9. The death scene between Tony and Maria (West Side Story)

10. The von Trapp family escapes into Austria (The Sound of Music)




What is the creepiest music video you've ever watched?

"Thriller" by Michael Jackson

Topical Tuesday

... this week’s topic is: Is it Christmas already!? Now, before you jump me and try to kill me with mince pies, let me clarify. I have been seeing Christmas decorations and adverts creep up around me through October. What do you have to say about Christmas becoming so commersialised that it’s “on sale” 2 months in advance? Or is this something you like? More time to do your Xmas shopping and cross things off your list?

I hate the commercialization of Christmas. It seems to be getting worse and worse every year! For me, the Christmas season starts after Thanksgiving. At that point, I have no objection to seeing the decorations and hearing the music. Before that, all that overkill bombards my senses and totally turns me off.

Many people totally miss the point of Christmas. I was saying to my DH and daughter that I'm looking forward to the season this year. My daughter replied gloomily that she's not because she has no money for gifts. We don't have money to get lavish gifts. But that isn't the point of Christmas--that's not the reason we celebrate. People seem to have forgotten. Christmas is about Christ's birthday--not Santa and gifts.

The funny thing is--this kind of behavior must have gotten started at least by the late 1940s. The reason I say that is because of one of my most favorite Christmas movies: Miracle on 34th Street. There's a young man in the movie named Alfred and he's a Santa wanna-be. He's talking about Christmas commercialism with Kris Kringle. He says something like: Commercialism, commercialism. Everything's make a buck, make a buck. And this was back in 1947 (or whenever it was the movie came out)!

I don't like the use of "Xmas". What's that about? I remember when "Xmas" started to be used as an abbreviation. It was supposed to be acceptable because the X represents a cross. Huh? I'm sorry, it's NOT Xmas, it's Christmas!

When we have our birthdays, we don't start celebrating two months before. It's the same for Christmas!

Notme and Ida Know Begone!

Here's what I wrote on my previous blog, Scribblings:

December 09, 2003
Notme & Ida Know

When I used to read the newspaper, my favorite part was the funnies section. I loved reading a cartoon called Family Circus by Bil Keane. His cartoons centered on a family, mom, dad, and 4 kids.

The ones I liked best also featured the invisible Notme and Ida Know. These creatures were to blame for everything. All they did was get into mischief and cause trouble.

Who spilled the juice??
Notme.
Notme.
Notme.

Or: What happened to the box of popcorn??
Ida Know.
Ida Know.
Ida Know.

It was frustrating because you could never catch Notme and Ida Know. It's especially frustrating because Notme and Ida Know have come to live in our house.

Who drank up two cartons of the eggnog TB bought the other day?

It was Notme and Ida Know.

The girls and I spent a couple of hours making chocolate chip cookies last night. It was fun and we were looking forward to enjoying them this week. This morning when I came into the kitchen, half the batch was gone. I didn't even need to ask before I knew the answer.

Now I have to hide the cookies and other goodies from Notme and Ida Know. It's absolutely ridiculous.

I hope Notme and Ida Know get bored soon and move on to torment some other family but somehow, I don't think that's going to happen! :P

Well, here it is just short of six years later. Notme and Ida Know are still residents here, older, lazier and sloppier to the point of piggy-ness. Notme and Ida Know still have no boundaries when it comes to swiping things or making messes.

Who took Gramma's pop tarts? They're hers--she paid for them!
Notme.
Notme.
Notme.

ARGH, who left the big mess in the bathroom?
Ida Know.
Ida Know.
Ida Know.

And WHO trashed the TV room upstairs and left all the plates, candy wrappers and soda bottles lying around?
Notme.
Notme.
Notme.

What happened to that big jar of strawberry preserves we bought yesterday?
Ida Know.
Ida Know.
Ida Know.

Who's going to pay to replace all these things?

FRANKLY, MY DEAR, WE DON'T GIVE A DAMN! It's just not gonna be one of us!

What a minute! Who are you?

Notme and Ida Know, that's who!

This time, my mom's the one who has to hide her treats. TB and I long ago gave up buying extras. We're so tired of having to hide it from Notme and Ida Know. TB locked the TV room door this afternoon. Maybe that's the only way to keep Notme and Ida Know out. The kids will say: not fair! We say, take it out on Notme and Ida Know.

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Maybe someday Notme and Ida Know will move away. Gosh, wouldn't that be nice????